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Cover Photo: Indian Army on Mt Manaslu
FROM OUR DESK
Welcome to the first edition of the Rimo Expeditions newsletter.
We hope to keep in touch with you through this newsletter and to update you on
what’s been going on at Rimo Expeditions as we travel through the Himalaya and
East Karakoram.
Our Ladakh season is now in full swing, the busiest time of the year for us.
If you visit our website at www.rimoexpeditions.com you will notice some changes,
the most noticeable being our blog. We hope you will visit it regularly and contribute,
subscribe or let us know of interesting posts that you might want us to share with our
readers. We also have a very active facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/rimoexpeditions
Ladakh continues to recover from last year’s cloudburst that killed so many people and
destroyed so many homes. We at Rimo are doing our bit to help in the reconstruction
process, along with the Juniper Trust UK, Himalayan Club and many of our clients
worldwide, by adopting the villages of Skiu and Kaya. More on that later.
Until the next time, happy trails!
Team Rimo
MANASLU AND EVEREST CLIMBS
Everest Summit
Rimo has been guiding expeditions to the East Karakoram and the
Himalaya for almost 20 years, but we outdid ourselves this year by
taking on two 8,000 metre peaks in Nepal, Mount Manaslu(8163m)
and Mount Everest(8848m).
First Indian ascent of
Manaslu by the Army.
Record breaking 18
people on summit
MANASLU AND EVEREST CLIMBS
Both
expeditions involved members of the
Indian defence forces, the Indian Army on Mount
Manaslu and the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Mount
Everest.
Mt Manaslu (8,163 m)
For Manaslu, a record number of 18 summiteers
sprung into action and met the four day deadline
to organize the logistics for the climb. The team
had been in training for two years, with a visit to
the Siachen glacier, an attempt on Mount Stok
Kangri (6121m), ascents of Mount Bhagirathi
II (6512m) , Mount Kamet (7757m) and Mount
Saser Kangri I (7672m) as preparation for the
big climb. Seven people reached the summit
including three female officers – a first for the
Indian Air Force. They were Flight Lieutenant
Nivedita Choudhary, Corporal Raju Sindhu,
Leading Aircraftsman, Ganesh Singh Pokhriya,
Squadron Leader Nirupama Pandey, Flight
Lieutenant Rajika Sharma, Squadron Leader
Devidutta Panda and Sergeant Jasbir Singh.
Three female officers
reached the summit, the first ascent of the steep,
reached the summit
avalanche prone peak by an Indian team. The
of Everest - a first for
expedition was led by Colonel Ajay Kothiyal,
IAF.
winner of the Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra
peacetime gallantry awards and consisted of
three officers, two junior commissioned officers
and 13 other ranks. The team included several Group Captain Prashant Joshi, director of
adventure for the Indian Air acknowledged the
Sherpa guides who work for Rimo.
effort put in by Rimo to make the expedition
happen when he wrote:
“I wish to place on record my heartfelt
appreciation and enormous admiration for
you and all personnel of your company,
to have taken on the audacious task of
organizing the Everest Expedition in three
days notice. I, or anyone I know, know no
other firm that could have or can take on (in
future) such a task which everyone in the
mountaineering fraternity or (outside of it)
rates as impossible.” q
The Indian Air Force Expedition to Everest was
nearly postponed by organizers but once the last
minute decision was made to go ahead, Motup
NATIONAL TOURISM AWARD 2010
Mr Motup receiving the award from Priyanka Chopra
For the second year in a row, Rimo Expeditions has been awarded
the prestigious Best Adventure Tour Operator award by India’s
Ministry of Tourism.
Chewang Motup received the award at a well-attended event at the Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi.
Motup received the award from Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra. Also present on the dais
were the Honourable Lok Sabha speaker Smt. Meira Kumar and tourism Minister Shri Subodh Kant
Sahai. A proud spectator in the audience was Motup’s father.
The write-up in the awards brochure about us read:
“Rimo Expeditions, India’s pioneering adventure travel company has been a leader and
innovator in the exploration of the East Karakoram and Himalayas, stretching from Ladakh to
Arunachal Pradesh. Since 1993, Rimo’s unrivalled team of experienced staff, who operate out
of offices across the Indian subcontinent, have provided tourists an unparalleled opportunity
to explore remote glaciers, climb virgin peaks, trek our mountains and run India’s mighty
rivers in a safe and memorable setting. Rimo’s focus today is to raise the standard of
environmental sustainability with creative and responsible rules for its staff to leave as light
a footprint as possible in the wilderness.”
We remain committed to being the Best Adventure Tour Operator in India for years to come . q
Nawang Gombu
The death of Nawang Gombu, former director of Field Training at
the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, saddened us.
The first man to climb Mount Everest twice, with the Americans in 1963 and then again with the
Indians in 1965, Gombu was much admired and loved by our staff. He was also the father of Yangdu
and father-in-law of Motup, the co-founders of Rimo Expeditions.
Gombu was part of the first group of Sherpa mountaineers who along with Tenzing Norgay
Nawang Gombu
The funeral procession enters HMI Darjeeling
completed a guide course in Switzerland in 1954.
They became the backbone of the Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute, an idea pushed by the
late Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru. He retired from the school as its Director
of Field Training after more than 40 years of
service during which he taught thousands of
students basic and advanced climbing skills.
twin brother of his climbing partner and friend Jim
Whittaker.
For his climbing and teaching accomplishments,
Gombu was awarded India’s highest civilian
honours including the Padma Bhusan, Padma
Shri, the Arjuna Award, the Indian Mountaineering
Foundation Gold Medal and the Tenzing Norgay
Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received
Gombu was also the youngest climbing Sherpa international acclaim and was awarded the
on the team that put his uncle Tenzing Norgay Queen Elizabeth II Coronation medal from Her
and Sir Edmund Hillary on the summit of Everest Majesty.
in 1953. His climbing days in the 1950s and
1960s across the East Karakoram and the Among his great passions was his work as
Himalaya included successful ascents of peaks president of the Sherpa Buddhist Association
such as Makalu, Sakang Peak, Saser Kangri, situated in Toong Soon busty, a Darjeeling
Nanda Devi, Cho Oyu, Koktang and Ratong. neighbourhood where he spent his early years q
He also had a long relationship and friendship
with Rainier Mountaineering Inc. in Washington
state that was co-owned by Lou Whittaker, the
GANGA CAMP - SUMMER 2011
Rimo Rafting Camp, Kaudiyala
Another season which started in the fall of 2010 and continued through
the winter and spring has come to an end on the Ganga.
Our camp at Kaudiyala just north
of the famed town of Rishikesh in
Uttarakhand saw a record number
of clients including several big
college groups who came to run
the river with us, even during the
final of the Cricket World Cup.
The interest was such that we
kept our camp open for two extra
weekends in May.
Cliff Jump
GANGA CAMP - SUMMER 2011
Riding the Rapids
Other highlights include new rafting gear that we have purchased along with all the latest accessories
to ensure that rafting continues to be top notch in the seasons to come. The team is off to Ladakh
for 2 months where we have daily trips on the Indus and Zanskar Rivers.
On a more personal note, we are sad to say that our camp manager Tara, a favourite among many
of our guests, is going to get married and settle down in his hometown in Manipur. We wish him well.
q